A New York woman was rescued from a hostage situation Sunday after sending a note to a restaurant through a Grubhub delivery order, according to police and a statement from the restaurant.
"Please call the police his going to call me when u delivered come with the cones please don't make it obvious," the woman wrote in the "Additional Instructions" portion of her order to The Chipper Truck in the Bronx, according to a Facebook post on the restaurant's page.
The post said she ordered before 5 a.m. "I’ve often heard of this happening but never thought it would happen to us. Thankfully we were open and able to help her," it said.
The New York City Police Department said officers responded to the scene at about 6:20 a.m.
The suspect, Kemoy Royal, was arrested on charges of rape, strangulation, criminal sex act, unlawful imprisonment, menacing, assault, criminal possession of a weapon and sexual abuse.
The victim is 24 years old, according to police.
Royal is also accused of attempting to rape a 26-year-old on June 15. He is charged with attempted rape, sexual abuse and assault in connection with that case. It's unclear if he has a lawyer.
Alicia Bermejo, 20, whose parents own The Chipper Truck, said she arrived at the store after the incident. Two women, one in her 40s and one in her 20s, fielded the note and called Bermejo's father for guidance because the message was somewhat "incoherent."
He instructed them to cancel the order for a cheeseburger and an Irish breakfast sandwich and send police instead.
He said: “‘Call 911, whether it’s fake or not, better to just get them out there,’” she said.
"That was the best thing for her," Bermejo said of the victim. "The police ended up showing up instead of a delivery driver."
Bermejo said The Chipper Truck is known as kind of a neighborhood watch because the brick-and-mortar restaurant is open 24 hours a day and its food truck has been operating in the community for 18 years. Employees are known to call Ubers or taxis for patrons who come late at night and need to get home.
"This added a new level and new meaning to that," she said. Still, "I don’t think any of us ever expected anything like this."
